New to kegging: leaking post? poppet?

[timcook]

I recently purchased 2 used kegs & both held pressure when purchased.

I filled what I consider to be keg #2, put it on CO2 for a week & began enjoying the beer. Now I only have 1 picnic tap. After a week of consuming beer from keg #2, I decided to remove the tap to have a couple pints from keg #1. A couple hours later, I noticed a dribble of beer coming out of the post of keg #2. The next morning there was a puddle of beer in the bottom of my fridge. I thought maybe the post was loose, but it's not. When I returned the tap to keg #2, everything appears to be fine w/no leaking.

I am wondering if it's the poppet? I figure it's near impossible to diagnose it via the internet, and but thought I'd ask. They are old Firestone ball lock kegs & this most likely is a result of me putting them together wrong. Before filling them w/beer, I disassembled the kegs, cleaned them, reassembled them & sanitized them.

Since its full of beer, my short-term solution is to buy a second picnic tap. Any thought or ideas? I'm not in a homebrew club, so I don't have too many friends who brew beer to ask.

Tim

 

[andrewmaixner]

Spraying Star-San on it will help you see where the leak is. It will bubble/foam a lot wherever the problem is.
In my experience, it is often the largest O-ring around the post where the ball-lock disconnect attaches. Silicone keg lube will sometimes help (remove ring, inspect for damage/tears, lube, and return it), and replacing the ring also is sometimes needed.

But your problem only happens when the disconnect is removed? releasing the PRV and fiddling with the poppit, then reapplying pressure, might help it, sometimes they don't seat perfectly.

 

[Ike]

Any thought or ideas?

1.) Consider replacing all the gaskets when you buy a used keg: you just don't know how old they are or how they were treated until they arrived under your roof. I've not had much luck finding the little 'uns on the poppets and PRV, but those are available pretty inexpensively and can be replaced as a unit. The ones for the dip tubes and in/out posts are available online for pennies each and I am replacing them every few batches just to be safe.

2.) The other thing I can think of is something like a tiny bit of hop residue or something similar got into the poppet and managed to wedge it open enough to cause a very slow leak. So like Andrew mentions above, fiddling/cleaning may help.

3.) Of course, your solution is best: buy more taps! Nobody ever says "man, I have too many choices in my kegerator."

 

[william_shakes_beer]

I had a similar leak. I determined that the poppet spring had FALLEN OUT. I had treated the poppet with sufficient lube that the pressure kept it closed and the poppet seal disk in place until I first tapped it. Once the pressure reduced and the poppet disk had been operated, It refused to seat properly. Apparently, that when I dropped the poppet valve in to the pan of starsan during routine cleaning, the spring fell out and was thrown out into the yard with the starsan.

 

[singybrue]

You could also have a bad poppet valve. I had good luck with the universal replacement poppet valves.

 

[mongoose33]

You could also have a bad poppet valve. I had good luck with the universal replacement poppet valves.

I had such a leak recently; took the post apart and there was a crack in the piece of plastic that supports the poppet o-ring. Replaced with a spare, everything was all right.

 

[timcook]

Thanks for the replies. Tonight I'll start with a spray of Starsan. Once the kegs kicks, I'll will take the post off to inspect the parts.